Due to forecasted storms, free sand for sandbags is now available at eight City of Phoenix parks.
Mayor Gallego Testifies in Washington, D.C. on the Importance of Federal Investments in Roads, Highways, and Bridges
This week, Mayor Kate Gallego traveled to the nation’s capital to testify before the U.S. Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works, addressing the importance of federal funding in helping cities build and maintain safe and resilient roads, highways, and bridges.
As the mayor of America’s fifth largest city, she called for more funding to go directly to cities, stressed the importance of road safety and infrastructure resiliency, and touted the success of the Infrastructure Investments and Jobs Act (IIJA) in helping cities, tribes, and states deliver revolutionary projects for their communities. She also urged the Committee to continue the same level of funding in the next surface transportation reauthorization bill.
During the hearing, Mayor Gallego noted her considerable experience in highway infrastructure as Chair of Maricopa Association of Governments, Co-Chair of Accelerator for America, and Chair of Climate Mayors.
During her opening remarks, Mayor Gallego highlighted the importance of the IIJA:
- “The Infrastructure Investments and Jobs Act was revolutionary for our city. It’s essential that the funding levels from that law continue, or better yet, increase, to allow states, tribes, and local governments to carry on the essential work the law spearheaded.”
Mayor Gallego also spoke about the complications that extreme temperatures create for roadways in Phoenix:
- “Just last week, we hit 118 degrees. Our highway infrastructure is required to face this reality head on and has to be built and maintained differently—it must be resilient. Programs such as PROTECT and Senator Kelly’s Healthy Streets program would help cities to implement essential initiatives such as cool pavement.”
She told the Committee that federal investments are vital for safety, and shared a story that is every parent’s worst nightmare:
- “One moment that I will always carry with me was speaking with a father who lost his daughter due to a traffic accident—he gave me a picture of her and asked me to make sure it never happened again to another parent. I still have her photo. As a result of the Safe Streets and Roads for All program, we’ve been able to address some of the safety issues on the roads that took his daughter’s life. This grant allowed us to implement proven safety measures designed to address issues involving pedestrians, transit riders, and drivers on a very critical corridor.”
Mayor Gallego told the Committee how federal partnership with the City is critical to the local economy, specifically citing the recruitment of the Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC):
- “Infrastructure benefits our economy and our national security. When I was recruiting our largest economic development deal, a semiconductor manufacturer, to come to Phoenix, I spoke about our commitment to investing in transportation infrastructure to support their investment. That mattered. TSMC is now investing $165 billion in our city, and the federal government has partnered with us to invest in freeway infrastructure to support these advanced industry jobs.”
She also advocated for funneling more federal funding directly to local governments:
- “In the upcoming surface transportation reauthorization bill, I encourage Congress to invest more directly to local governments and MPOs, in addition to states. More than 75 percent of road miles are owned by cities and counties. In addition, local governments own and operate more than half of our bridges and the majority of our public transit systems. Local leaders drive the same roads as our constituents every day, and we’re well equipped to determine where to make key investments.”
Mayor Gallego is grateful to Chair Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV), Ranking Member Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), and Senator Mark Kelly (D-AZ) for inviting her to share her critical perspective as a local government official.
